5 Reasons "The Newsroom" is an Insult to Journalism

The second season of HBO's "The Newsroom" is premiering on July 14th, and if it's anything like the first season, the scathing commentary on the state of journalism today will be unrelenting and painful. Here are five reasons why "The Newsroom" is an insult to journalism:

The Newsroom's Will McAvoy vs. Anchorman's Ron Burgundy

Via reason.com

1. New media should be celebrated, not treated with contempt.

The show vilifies new media. The anchor, Will McAvoy, is extremely reluctant to adapt to the times and is bitterly reverential about the good old days when you could only get three versions of the news.

2. Journalists are not the "intellectual elite".

Will and his team think that he is god’s greatest gift to mankind and that his viewpoint is beyond reproach, and he therefore doesn’t offer contending views.

3. Good journalists have to work hard and be committed to reporting.

The News Night team doesn’t see a need to go out and get stories. The reporters rely primarily on luck and pre-existing knowledge.

4. There is always bias in media, you just need to be upfront about it.

Will claims to be a republican but his story choice indicates the opposite. He repeatedly claims that the tea party is taking over the world and that this is the most pressing story on the docket.

5. Journalists do make mistakes, and they should take responsibility for them.

Will actually does apologize, but on behalf of the journalism industry as a whole (of which he believes he has risen above).